Глава 2

1–5. The teaching of freethinking Jews contemporary to the writer about the fate of man after death and 6–9. about the highest goal of human earthly life. 10–20. Their attitude towards godly true Israelites. 21–22. The writer's assessment of their views. 23–24. Origin of death. Prem.2:1. Those who think wrongly said to themselves: “Our life is short and sad, and there is no salvation for man from death, and they do not know that anyone will free him from hell. 1–5. The views of freethinkers on human life and on the fate of a person after death are outlined. In the Greek text of 1st Art. Chapter II connected with the previous particle – γαρ – “for” (είπον γαρ...), which means this verse provides the basis for the thought of the previous 16th Art. and is closely related to him. The wicked are worthy of death (Wis. 1:16) because they look at life as an accident and do not believe in any immortality (Wis. 2:1). “Those who think wrongly” (λογίζεσθαι ούκ ορθώς) are not wrong-thinkers; What is taken here is not the intellectual side, but the moral one: people who are in the wrong mood (see the note on λογισμός to Art. I: 3). “They spoke to themselves,” or rather among themselves (μηδείς ήμών). Freethinkers express three thoughts: 1) about the brevity of human life; 2) about the inevitability of death and 3) they deny the possibility of life for the human spirit after the death of the body. “Short and sorrowful is our life...” We find similar expressions in other places of Holy Scripture (Gen. 47:9; Job 14:1-2 v.; Ps. 38:6-7), but there they are spoken with a different mood. Life is considered “deplorable” by the wicked when it is not diversified by sensual pleasures (II: 5–9). “And they do not know that anyone has freed him from hell.” Hell in the mouths of the wicked generally means the state after death. With their words, they want to say that no one returns from the dead, therefore, in their opinion, death puts an end to everything. Prem.2:2. We were born by chance and afterward we will be like those who never were: the breath in our nostrils is smoke, and the word is a spark in the movement of our heart. Prem.2:3. When it fades away, the body turns to dust, and the spirit dissipates like liquid air; 2–3. The proof of what was stated in Art. 1 is presented. wicked thoughts of complete destruction after death. This proof is derived from two grounds: 1) from the randomness of human life and 2) from the concept of the essence of the soul, its materiality. “We were born by chance and afterward we will be like those who never existed.” We arose thanks to a simple chance, without any higher purpose, therefore “after”, when this life has passed, our random existence will end forever: “we will be like those who never existed.” A similar doctrine was expounded in ancient times in the philosophy of Democritus and Epicurus. It is quite possible that part of Judaism, striving intensely for Greek culture and education, adopted these philosophical views. The writer is fighting against these opponents of his Jews and for this purpose, highlighting even the subtleties in detail, he expounds the Epicurean teaching. “The breath in our nostrils is smoke and the word is a spark in the movement of our heart.” In these and subsequent words, the writer presents the materialistic views of his opponents. According to these crudely materialistic views, human life is presented from one biological side and is identified with the process of breathing. A person lives as long as he breathes; with his last breath all life ends. The “word” here is taken to designate consciousness and, in general, the mental activity of a person, and it is presented as a spark resulting from a heartbeat. Just as sparks occur from the impact of metal on stone, so exactly from the impact of the heart, as a purely material substance, thinking occurs; the latter, therefore, is only the result of animal life. “Breath... is smoke, and the word is a spark.” These images were taken by the writer, probably because his opponents shared one of the ancient teachings (for example, Heraclitus, the Stoic Zeno or Epicurus), which considered fire, ether or heat to be the beginning of everything. 3. Verse 3 is a conclusion from the previous one. If warmth, this principle of life, disappears, then along with it the body, as well as the spirit, is destroyed. The "spirit" dissipates like "liquid air". This conclusion on the part of materialists is very consistent, since they do not think of the spirit as something different from the body, but only a manifestation of the same bodily life, and at its basis they believe the same material substance, only more subtle - ether, “rarefied air”. In other books of Holy Scripture, human life is often compared to vapor, a cloud, a shadow (James 4:14; Ps. 38:7, 143:4; Job 7:7, 8:9, 14:2), but there these words are only images for the frailty of human earthly life and they do not resolve the question of what the life of the human spirit is in essence. Prem.2:4. and our name will be forgotten over time, and no one will remember our deeds; and our life will pass like the trace of a cloud and dissipate like fog, dispersed by the rays of the sun and aggravated by its warmth. Prem.2:5. For our life is the passing of a shadow, and there is no return for us from death: for a seal has been set, and no one returns. 4–5. These verses contain three thoughts: 1) that the memory of the dead soon perishes, 2) that human life passes quickly and without a trace, and 3) that there is no return from death. “Our name will be forgotten.” The attention of materialists is drawn to the earth and they regret not, first of all, that with death they will completely disappear, but that the memory of them in people will be short-lived (for similar thoughts, see Eccl. 2:16, 9:5). - “There is no return for us from death, for a seal has been placed...” The thought is the same as at the end of the 1st article, only supplemented with an image. Just as there is no escape from a sealed place of imprisonment (Dan. 6:17; Rev. 20:3; Matt. 27:66), so there is no return to life after death. Section 6–20 Art. Chapter II can be divided into two parts: 6–9 art. and 10–20 tbsp. In the first part, the writer sets out the view of the freethinkers of his time on the ultimate goal and purpose of a person’s earthly life, in the second - their view on relationships with other people, mainly those who do not share their views. Pres.2:6. Let us enjoy real blessings and hasten to use the world as youth; 6–9. The highest ultimate goal of earthly life, according to these people, is sensual pleasure. Obviously, the opponents of the writer Prince. Wisdom adhered to Epicurean philosophy. Such a view of life in the Bible is condemned, in addition to the Book of Wisdom, even in the prophet Isaiah - Isa. 22:13 ; 1 Cor. 15:32. 6. 6 tbsp. represents a practical conclusion from the above view of life and human destiny: since everything ends with death and earthly life is fleeting (Articles 3–5), then there is only one thing left to do - to hurry to “enjoy real blessings.” By “real goods” (τω v όντων αγαθσών) one can understand goods that really exist as opposed to imaginary ones, or goods that are available now, which are offered at the moment, as opposed to distant goods in general and especially the benefits of a future life. “We will... hasten to use the world as youth.” These words consistently convey the Epicurean view of the world as a source of pleasure. It is recommended to extract pleasure from everywhere with the same passion as people sometimes take advantage of youth. Pres.2:7. let us be filled with expensive wine and incense, and may the spring blossom of life not pass us by; Prem.2:8. let us be crowned with rose flowers before they fade; 7–8. At 7–8 tbsp. The main objects of sensual pleasures that were widely used at feasts in ancient times are indicated: wine, incense, flowers. We must hurry to take advantage of all this while there is an opportunity, “before the roses wither,” and use it to the fullest extent – ​​“let us be filled,” “for this is our share and our lot” (verse 9). The words “share” and “lot” (μερίς, κλήρος) in the Bible are used in the sense of a person’s appointment (Wis. 3:14; Eccl. 2:10, 3:22, 5:17, 9:9). Hence the idea of ​​Art. 9. this: we will not deprive ourselves of any of the pleasures available to us, because we cannot expect anything more from life: a person is determined to enjoy. Prem.2:9. none of us deprive ourselves of participation in our pleasure; Let us leave traces of joy everywhere, for this is our share and our lot. Prem.2:10. We will oppress the poor righteous man, we will not spare the widow and we will not be ashamed of the many years of gray hair of the old man. 10. “Let us oppress the poor and righteous.” Most interpreters by the righteous man (δίκαιος), which is spoken of in the 10th and subsequent verses, mean the people of Israel in general, in their relation to the pagan peoples who oppressed them; in accordance with this, by the wicked they mean the pagans. Some places in the first section of the book. Wisdom seems to confirm this interpretation (Wis. 3:8, 4:15), but more decisively (see Wis. 2:12, 3:10) it becomes clear that by the wicked the writer means the Jews who rejected the Mosaic Law and were carried away by imitation of everything pagan. Then the “righteous”, as a collective concept, must be attributed to the best part of the Jewish people, who remained faithful to Jehovah. That in the mouths of freethinkers the expression “righteous” had an ironic meaning is self-evident. The name of the righteous “poor man” (πένητα) can have a double meaning: 1) that his righteousness does not benefit the pious, on the contrary, he constantly struggles with need and shortcomings, 2) or the writer wanted to highlight the wickedness of his opponents in a particularly bright light, saying that they incite their persecution against the defenseless poor, against widows and elders. Violence against the defenseless and innocent in Holy Scripture is always presented as an indicator of extreme wickedness (Jer. 7:6; Zech. 7:10; Mal. 3:5; Matt. 23:14; Mark 12:40). In particular, disrespect for old age was condemned by all ancient peoples and was a direct violation of the Mosaic Law (Lev. 19:32). This is a requirement of the law, the writer of the book. He tries to represent wisdom at the same time as the requirement of natural human feeling, hence his pleonasm of “many years of gray hair of an old man.” Some commentators in v. 10 see a hint of 2Mac. 6:18, 7:1, which describes cases of pagan cruelty towards Jews. Prem.2:11. Let our strength be the law of righteousness, for powerlessness turns out to be useless. 11. “Let our strength be the law of righteousness.” The moral decline of the wicked people brought out by the writer is all the greater because they are prompted to violence not by irritation and rage, but by the clearly recognized principle that strength is the measure of justice. They seemed to contrast this position with the Mosaic Law, which justice itself considers the norm. Such exaltation of strength, of course, was accompanied by contempt for all kinds of powerlessness and weakness; this can be seen from the 2nd half of verse 11. The wicked are encouraged to persecute the pious not only by their general principle, but also by special reasons: 1) the fact that the righteous opposes them and denounces them (v. 12); 2) his belief in his special closeness to God seems to them arrogance (vv. 13, 16); 3) with his very piety he makes them feel shame and respect (vv. 14–15); 4) they know that he despises their way of thinking and behavior and, finally, 5) (vv. 16) they want to make sure whether his hope in God is really grounded (vv. 17–20). Prem.2:12. Let us put a burden on the righteous, for he is a burden to us and opposes our deeds, reproaches us for sins against the law and reproaches us for the sins of our upbringing; 12. “We will arrange feats for the righteous...” We are talking about secret intent, conspiracy, as opposed to overt violence. Here the writer obviously recalls a passage from the prophet Isaiah (Is. 3:10), and quotes it not from the Hebrew text, but from the LXX translation. This circumstance gives a valuable indication of the time of origin of the book of the Wisdom of Solomon. “Reproaches us for sins against the law.” Law (νόμος), without further definition in Holy Scripture, always means the law of Moses. Only a Jew could be charged with sin against the Law of Moses, therefore these words indicate that the writer’s opponents described here were Jews. Guilty against the law, they also deserved reproach “for the sins of their (our) upbringing.” Here the writer obviously means the pagan upbringing that the Jews of his time began to receive, having fallen under the influence of Greek education (1 Mac. 1:14). Prem.2:13. declares himself to have knowledge of God and calls himself the son of the Lord; 13th century indicates another reason for the persecution of the righteous: he is intolerable to his enemies because “he declares himself to have the knowledge of God and calls himself the son of the Lord.” The last expression here is used in a moral sense about the internal attitude in which the pious, in their mood and activity, stand towards God. The righteous man who calls himself the son of God is the Jewish people faithful to God (see Pres. 12:19–21; Ex. 4:22; Isa. 1:2). Prem.2:14. He is before us - the conviction of our thoughts. 14. “He is before us a reproof of our actions,” probably in the sense that when making comparisons that people make between the righteous and the wicked, the latter are shown in a bad light, so that they themselves begin to be ashamed of their actions. Prem.2:15 . It’s hard for us to look at him, because his life is not like the lives of others, and his ways are different: 15. “His life is not like the life of others...” Unholy freethinkers consider religiosity and virtue to be some kind of strangeness in a person that is incomprehensible to them, separating him from all others. The writer has a very subtle psychological observation. The expression “his ways” means an image, a direction of life. Prem.2:16. he considers us an abomination and moves away from our ways as from uncleanness, he rejoices at the death of the righteous and vainly calls God his father. Prem.2:17. We will see whether his words are true, and we will experience what his outcome will be; Prem.2:18. for if this righteous man is the son of God, then God will protect him and deliver him from the hand of his enemies. Prem.2:19. Let us test him with insult and torment, in order to know his humility and see his gentleness; Prem.2:20 . Let us condemn him to a dishonorable death, for, according to him, he will be taken care of.” 17–20. Wicked freethinkers subject the righteous man to a test with a double purpose, to find out 1) whether his hope for God’s help will be justified (18, 20) and 2) whether he is stable in his moral life (verse 19). If the hope of the righteous is not in vain, if his words about God’s care for him were not simple conceit, then God will protect him. He will deliver him even from death. Likewise, in suffering, a righteous person will reveal his “humility and gentleness,” if only he has them. Section of the Book of Wisdom from 12–20 v. by many ancient and modern exegetes it was understood as a prophecy about the attitude of His enemies towards Jesus Christ and about His condemnation to death. In this case, “the righteous” meant the Savior. The main basis for such an interpretation was taken from the 13th and 16th centuries, where the enemies accuse the righteous man of “calling himself the son of the Lord” (13th article) and “vainly calling God his Father” (16th article). A similar reproach and in the same expressions, according to the testimony of the Gospel, was hurled by the Jews at the Lord (John 5:18, 19:7); a similar basis is found in v. 18, comparing it with Matt. 27:40, 43; and finally, in the words of the 20th article: “We will condemn him to a dishonorable death” they see an indication of the Savior’s death on the cross. But bearing in mind the non-canonical nature of the book of the Wisdom of Solomon, one can not see in this section a prophecy in the proper sense, but see in it a living image of the attitude of the wicked to the righteous, common to all times. This image, by the power of its truth, turned out to be applicable to the face of Jesus Christ, the greatest of all the righteous. This understanding finds a solid basis in the book of Wisdom itself, because under the name of the righteous (δίκαιος), depicted in Chapter II. Art. 12–20, the writer of this book apparently did not mean a specific person, but a generic concept (actually a pious Israelite in general). Prem.2:21. So they reasoned, and were mistaken; for their malice has blinded them, 21. From this verse the writer proceeds to discuss and evaluate the way of thinking of his opponents, which he outlined above. “So they thought and they were wrong.” Their thoughts are delusions. The reason for this error is twofold: it lies, on the one hand, in the moral depravity of the freethinking Jews: “their malice blinded them,” and on the other hand, in their ignorance of the divine predestination of the fate of the righteous after death (v. 22). Prem.2:22. and they did not know the mysteries of God, did not expect reward for holiness, and did not consider blameless souls worthy of reward. 22. “They did not know the mysteries of God.” Based on the context of the speech and comparison of this passage with Prem. 4:17, 3:9 - here we are talking about the mystery of Divine predestination of the fate of the righteous after death. Ignorance of this secret did not occur because this knowledge was inaccessible to the wicked, but because they did not recognize reward beyond the grave. Denying immortality, the writer's opponents naturally also denied the idea of ​​retribution. Prem.2:23. God created man for incorruptibility and made him the image of His eternal existence; Prem.2:24. But through the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and those who belong to his inheritance experience it. 23–24. The thought of rewarding pure souls in the future life gives the writer a reason to speak out about the origin of death (23–24) and at the same time contrast the fate of the wicked (24) with the fate of the righteous (Wis. 3:1–3). Receiving the “reward for holiness,” which consists in blissful immortality, is available to everyone, because (23–24) death was not part of the original plans of God’s creative activity and did not penetrate into the being of human nature, but is something that entered the world due to outside influence, therefore the future fate of everyone depends on himself. - “God made man the image of His eternal existence,” therefore the definition of immortality is embedded in human nature itself: “God created man for incorruptibility.” 24. On death, see the note to Art. 12. Chapter I The death we are talking about here is not physical, but spiritual, this can be seen from the fact that not everyone experiences it (see v. 24 and Wis. 3:1 v.). The reason for it is the envy of the devil at the perfection of primordial man. Through envy, he led man into sin, and sin leads man to spiritual death (Wis. 1:12). “Those who belong to his inheritance test it.” Thus, death is only a possibility (and not a necessity), not everyone experiences it, it entered the world as something extraneous.